22 years ago today in Movie History – January 10 – marked the release of Curtis Hanson’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, starring Rebecca De Mornay and Annabella Sciorra. The film followed the tenants of a subgenre best described as “the BLANK from Hell” in which this one could be described as “The Nanny from Hell”. De Mornay portrayed that nanny and Sciorra was her tormentee. 1992 was a popular year for such titles including “The Teenager From Hell” (Poison Ivy), “The Cop From Hell” (Unlawful Entry), and “The Roommate From Hell” (Single White Female). Cradle was an unexpected box office smash, grossing $88 million domestically. De Mornay would go onto less regarded thrillers such as Guilty as Sin and Never Talk to Strangers. Her most notable film appearance in recent years was alongside Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, and Dwight Yoakam in the opening sequence to Wedding Crashers. Sciorra’s film career would fizzle as well but she did have a significant stint playing Tony’s mistress on “The Sopranos”. In fact, it’s some other females in the cast who would go onto bigger things. Playing Sciorra’s friend who met a rather ghastly demise at the hands of De Mornay was an actress in just her second film role named Julianne Moore. Playing Sciorra’s daugheter was Madeline Zima, just six years old at the time. Soon aftewards she would be cast in the popular Fran Drescher sitcom “The Nanny” and recently was in a much more adult role on Showtime’s “Californication”. And Ernie Hudson played a mentally challenged house worker, giving him at least one memorable role other than being the Ghostbuster nobody talks about. Finally, the director Curtis Hanson would move to directing such noteworthy pictures as The River Wild, L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, and 8 Mile.

As for birthdays, today marks the 72nd birthday of director/screenwriter Walter Hill. Mr. Hill is known on the screenwriting side for working on Aliens and Alien 3 and the 1972 Steve McQueen hit The Getaway. His directing credits include hits like 48 HRS. and its sequel Another 48 HRS. and the 1979 cult classic The Warriors. He directed Richard Pryor in the comedy Brewster’s Millions, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi in Red Heat, and Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing. One of his lesser known features is 1992’s Trespass with Ice Cube, Bill Paxton, Ice-T, and William Sadler but it’s a solid B flick that is worth seeking out. His latest effort was the Sylvester Stallone disappointment Bullet to the Head.

Evan Handler is 53 today. He’s more known for his TV work, including appearing on “Californication” with Madeline Zima from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. His best known TV role is as Charlotte’s husband Harry on “Sex and the City”. He would reprise that role in the hit Sex and the City movie and its less successful sequel. Other film roles include 1981’s Taps and 1996’s Ransom, in which he played one of the kidnappers.

As for Six Degrees of Separation between our birthdays subjects –

Walter Hill directed Bruce Willis in Last Man Standing

Bruce Willis was in Striking Distance with Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker was in Sex and the City with Evan Handler

And that’s today – January 10 – in Movie History!